It Never Crossed His Mind!

"...to burn their sons and daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind." Jeremiah 7:31

I have been reading in Jeremiah, and when I first read this verse it seemed odd but important so I read it again. In context, the Lord is reflecting on the ways in which his people have turned from him. He talks about how they have built high places to other gods and then this verse appears where he describes what they have done at these high places: they have sacrificed their own children. I think for most of us this is an unthinkable act, but as I reflected on this verse something shocking gripped me. The Lord tells his people that He never commanded them to sacrifice their children, nor did it ever cross his mind to ask this of them! The amazing truth hidden in this verse is that He never thought to ask this of them because from the beginning of time He had determined to sacrifice his son instead. They were not wrong to believe that a sacrifice was necessary, but they were wrong to believe that they could purchase their atonement through the blood of their sons and daughters. This atonement could only come from one place and it was from the sacrifice of the perfect son of God. This means that from the moment we sinned, God in his great love for us, had determined to sacrifice his son in our place. It never crossed his mind to require us to pay the appropriate price for our sin! Unlike any other god, He had the right to demand the lives of not only our sons and daughters but ours as well. Instead, He knew from the beginning of time that our creation would require the life of his son and still He created us and chose to bestow his love on us. This truth humbles me as I consider how many times I have begun my day choosing to believe the lie that I am not valuable; or the number of times in my life that I have questioned God's good intentions toward me. If ever you find yourself believing this, remember that the Lord chose to create you knowing the cost to himself and his beloved son. Never did it cross his mind to leave you to your sin or its appropriate punishment. Rather, from the beginning he ordered all of history for the benefit of your atonement. For the benefit of his reunion with his precious children!